These contain hourly weather observations made at continuously manned stations such as airfields, harbour authorities and coastguard stations. We have these for approximately 1,000 sites for the UK and overseas, from the 1920s to more recent times. They include observations of the following elements:
- Temperature
- Wind speed and direction
- Visibility
- Cloud amount and type
- Pressure and dew point
- Precipitation
- Sunshine
The amount and frequency of the recorded data makes them a rich source of information for people who need the weather conditions at specific places and for very specific times. For example, they can prove particularly useful when investigating plane crashes during the Second World War.